Vulcanizing apparatus.



E- W. RUTHERFORD.

VULCANIZING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6. 915.

1,209,764. Patented Dec. 26,1916.

EUGENE RUTHERFORD,

Specification of Letters Patent.

NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO BOSTON RUBBER SHOE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF VULCANIZING" APPARATUS.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Patented an. so, rare.

Application filed February a, 1915. Serial No. 6,418.

To an whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, EUGENE W. RUTHER- ronn a citizen of the United States, .and

a res dent of Naugatuck, county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, have vented certain new anduseful Improvements in Vulcanizin Apparatus, of whichthe fbllowing is a fu 1, clear, and exact description;

This invention relates to apparatus used in controlling the internal and external pressures exerted upon articles embodying rubber, rubberlike, the process of vulcanization.

An object of the present invention is to provide means whereby a controllable differential of pressure may be independently exerted upon different units of the apparatus at any time during cure, whereby a saving in cost of production as well as an increased output for a single vulcanizer will be promoted.

Ordinarily, in vulcanizing under the controllable difi'erential of pressure process, the articles, such as for. instance, boots or shoes, are built in the usual manner upon hollow perforated boot trees. Theseboot trees are mounted upon a car the frame of which is formed of tubing, there being branch pipes of this tubingtconnected With'the interior of the hollow boot trees. The car carrying the boot trees with the articles to be vulcanized thereon is run into a vulcanizer wherein the outside of the articles is. subjected to heat and controllable high pressure; The car tubing is connected to a controllable low pressure or even vacuum pipe, whereby the inside of the articles is subjected to a lesser pressure than the outside, this differential of pressure serving to exhaust entrapped air, gases, fluids, and the like from the articles.

The present invention provides apparatus embodying a plurality of cars or units of the above described type in combination with a common exhaust or low pressure pipe from which branches lead to respective cars or units, these branches being controlled by corresponding valves, each of which may be opened in turn independently of the others to exhaust the sponding car. Byv this selective method of exhausting the articles upon but one car at atime, a single low pressure or vacuum device of only sufficient capacity to exhaust 5 the articles upon one unit may be employed,

or similar materials during.

at intervals with branch .device independently articles on the correthus producing a saving in cost 'over operatmg a large device of suflicient capacity toexhaust all the cars or units simultaneously.

apparatus suitable for the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a plan view of the with parts in section'; Fig; 2 is a tion on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

apparatus cross sec- Referringnow to the drawing, 10 designates a car which is mounted upon wheels 11, which facilitates thecar being run upon a track 12, into a vulcanizer 13, of the'usual and well known. type. The frame of the car is formed of tubing from Which branch pipes 14 rise, these pipes being suitably connected to and serving to support the hollow boot trees upon which the boots 15 are supported. In the present embodiment heat and pressure are supplied to the articles by means of a perforated steam pipe 16.

is 'operatively connected with a suitable pump 18 orsimilar device, and is provided pipes 19, which onter the vulcan'izer and are controlled by corresponding valves 20, disposed outside of the vulcanizer. The branch pipes 19 are detachably connected to corresponding units or cars 10, and for this purpose'the tubing 'of each car carries a pipe 21 adapted to be coupled to a respective branch pipe 19 of the low pressure or exhaust pipe, by means of a coupling 22 of any preferred type.

In operation, after the cure of the articles has been started in the usual manner, each unit, of the series of cars is put into communication with the low pressure or exhaust of the others by. opening its corresponding valve 20, such communication being cut off after an interval of from three to fifteen minutes, more or less, and another unit opened to the action of the low pressure or exhaust, this operation 100 being continued until all of the units have been put in turn in communication With the low pressure orexhaust.

It is not necessary that the articles be subjected to the low pressure or the period of vulcanization, since this operation may be performed prior to. the commencement of the vulcanizing operation. I

do not wish to limit myself to any particular sequence of putting the various units or cars 110 carrying. out I In carrying out the invention I provide a 7: main ,low pressure or exhaust pipe 17 which exhaust during time during Which the articles of any par; ticular unit shall be subjected to the action of the vacuum or exhaust, neither do I limit myself to any particular stage of the vulcanizing operation'at which the articles shall be subjected to the action of the exhaust.

What I claim is:-

A vulcanizing apparatus comprising a vulcanizer, a plurality of independent pipes entering the Vulcanizer, respective valves for controlling said pipes, a common pipe connected with said valve controlled pipes, an

exhaust device connected with said common 15 pipe, a plurality of units formed of tubing, 1

tween said valve controlled pipes and said tubing units.

Signed at Naugatuck, Conn, this 3rd day of February, 1915.

EUGENE W. RUTHERFORD. Witnesses v CHARLES S. MYERS, WARREN D. ABEL. 

